Nearly half of North Carolinians are obese, study shows

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- February is American Heart Month, and recent data is shedding light on high rates of obesity in North Carolina.

A study by NORC at the University of Chicago found that nearly half of all North Carolinians are living with obesity based on their body mass index (BMI).

Research found that 45% of state residents have a BMI over 30, the threshold for obesity, and that obesity disproportionately impacts poorer and minority residents. While roughly 41% of the state's white residents have a BMI over 30, that number jumps to 54% for Black North Carolinians.

Obesity rates were also 10 points higher for people with a GED degree or less compared to college graduates.

"Obesity is a huge problem in the United States in general, the South in particular, and North Carolina most of all," said Dr. John Buse, an expert on obesity and diabetes at UNC Chapel Hill.

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Buse said the inequities when it comes to statewide obesity are clear.

"Increased risk of homelessness, food insecurity, poor access to health care, and all of these are thought to be major contributors to developing increased risk of overweight and obesity," he said.

Long-term, obesity can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and increased risk for cancer and arthritis. Doctors are hoping recent changes to the healthcare landscape in North Carolina can make a difference.

"For a while, we didn't have the Medicaid expansion that many other states in the country did," Buse said. "But we do now. And hopefully, people look into whether they can get coverage."